Necroing threads...

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Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:57 pm

Can something pleased be explained to me...

We are told never to necro threads. Understandable. But then if a noob asks a question, they are given rolly eyes and told to use the search button.

When they do this and then revive a thread, they are told not to.

Just a question!

By the way, are we here for a while now?

IWM

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:28 pm

Usually the answer is IN the thread. Therefore it makes sense to point someone at the thread where he can read the answer for himself. Sometimes the answer is so elaborate, or sparks a discussion we have had so many times before it makes sense to point someone at another (similar) thread. If someone has a new question, they can always open a thread for it.

As for rolling eyes and such, I am sure people have more than enough experience with the SEARCH button to know it does not always give the best results. Sometimes a word simply sparks too many matches. There is a difference however with someone reading around the forum and not being able to find the information and someone who does not bother at all to have a look around and clutter the forum with numerous threads regarding the same issue.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:19 am

Necro'ing is posting an answer to an old long dead thread where the original poster asked a question that no one cares about anymore. That is usually 2-3 months in real time which equals about 2 years in forum time. The topic means nothing and posting an answer has no point. Even if it is a topic that comes up occasionally, we would rather have a new topic started and link to the old thread if some information is relevant. This way someone does not have to read through a complete topic to figure out why the person necroed that topic; they can read the first post and if the poster knows how to link to specific posts in the old topic, they can review only what is required.

I haven't seen rolling eyes for a while, but most reoccurring topics are very easy to find with the search. And if a search wouldn't do it, we have put most if not all reoccurring topics in a FAQ somewhere or a stickied topic which can be found by reading them all, which you should be doing anyway. And if you get rolling eyes it means it is very easy to find with a little work. "Give him a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he'll never be hungry."

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:08 pm

pretty quiet tonight around the site. Damn Vlads. I think I will go over to ebay and piss a few off. Twisted Evil

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

No idea why there are not many members here, they should all know the Yuka site gives the new url for here, but it's still deadly quiet Confused

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:57 pm

Part of the problem is the sheer length of the status thread on yuku. Maybe someone over there could make a sticky "status" that has *only* status info in it and not all of the discussion? It took me a little while to even *find* the relevant info...

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:03 pm

Lotta's lost her legs. All incentive to visit has gone... Sad

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:05 pm

Back OT

I recently asked that a Necroed thread be closed because it was over two years old (real time) and I read it as if it was current. Crying or Very sad

The thread was replete with a number of GUEST authors who were just (IMO) joking around on a new found board to stomp through.

To me that kind of Necro is a waste of time for all involved, including the Mods who then have to LOCK the thread.

I'm not saying I have never Necroed a thread, Embarassed

especially before I found out how impolite it is. I like the idea that Dr. Who presented of a poster starting a new thread and referring back to the thread they are tempted to raise from the dead. Keeps things cleaner and the reader then has the option of going through the bone yard to read the old material.

Necro is a good term for the practice, even if I did have to look up the word (necrophilia). Shocked

Thank you Mods for decisive and prompt action! Cool

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:15 pm

ParaNoid wrote:

... I read it as if it was current. ...

That's one of the main points.

When a thread is necroed, people start reading it and only realize after a while that it's all old stuff they've read before.

No need for that. Just start a new thread and, if necessary, add a link to the old thread.

It's not the Eleventh Commandment, it's just common courtesy.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

http://ninjaforce.redirectme.net/viewtopic.php?p=982837&highlight=#982837

I just had a 3 year old Necro on the 18th. It can be an honest mistake when you misread the dates while searching for something.

By "misread the dates" I mean "perhaps having a few cocktails while posting"

Edit: Guilty as charged.

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:12 am

I'm gonna give this thread a year and then bump it.

Oh the irony. Rolling Eyes

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

I finally got my tinfoil hat avi up and running.

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:20 pm

dammit slightly that was my plan Sad

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:12 pm

BUMP!

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:30 am

callum wrote:

Lotta's lost her legs. All incentive to visit has gone... Sad

Got my legs back Laughing

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:11 pm

lotta wrote:

Got my legs back

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:55 am

Bump..

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Quote:

even if I did have to look up the word (necrophilia).

Umm....no. Wink

As used here, the term 'necro' is short for 'necromancy', the dark art of bringing things back from the dead. (Please see the ever helpful Guidelines section, which explains the policy.)

TSnerd's worthless knowledge tip of the day:

The suffix 'necro' refers to death or the dead- a 'necropolis' for instance, is a cemetary or, literally, a 'city of the dead'.

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:00 pm

http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/warriorshtm/necromancer.htm

yep what TS sed.

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 7:23 pm

To be fair (BUMP), I've asked dozens of questions that have been asked over and over, and gotten away with it every time. Even if a link to previous threads was posted in the reply, the mods and admins always did so with great patience and understanding. Heck, the vast majority even encouraged stupid questions, since current info on the topics can change from one week to the next.

There were of course one or two impatient-sounding posts about reading the stickies and learning how to navigate the search function. The part that I found amusing was that the impatient-sounding posters were usually just either trying to up their post-count or make themselves look "more baiter than thou" and therefore more intelligent. The part I found REALLY amusing was the "commandment" in the stickies about how everyone was a newbie once and having respect for your fellow poster.

So It Wasn't Me, my humble advice is to go ahead and ask your questions when needed. You may get the "rolly eyes" from one or two people (often who only have one or two months more "experience" than you), but you'll also get the info you're looking for and you'll actually provide help for those that wanted to know but are afraid to ask. And when you have been here a good long time and have seen it all, be sure to remember that newbie commandment eh!

"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." - Wayne Gretzky